Midnight
by genevieveyoung
Summary: Modern Muggle AU / James and Lily meet at a New Year's Eve party. James' POV


**Hey my people! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. In the spirit of New Year's, I have written a story in honor of that. Actually, I wrote the story as a Christmas gift to my friend on Christmas Eve, but obviously I didn't finish in time, so I adapted it for New Year's Eve.**

 **I hope you all enjoy it. Happy New Year, and I'll see you all in 2017! Also, a quick R.I.P to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.**

 **xoxo Evie**

 _Dedicated to the beautiful Arden, otherwise known as my Padfoot._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. All credit goes to the wonderful JKR**

* * *

I glared out my window at the trees passing us by. It snowed last night, which meant if you looked up, everything looked like a Christmas movie from the 40s: trees and bushes heavy with white fluff, long icicles hanging off some limbs, deer prancing through the trees, and little balls of white cotton falling from the sky.

The instant you looked down, though, all you could see was the black and gray mush that had formerly been snow. I watched as a 2008 Honda Odyssey passed us, the mush spraying out from under its tires. My dad drove slower than my grandma.

My mum had been going on for the past few miles about the family we were going to visit. "-you guys used to play together when you were little - Remember, Monty, how tiny they were? - and you'd make mud pies and chase one another around-"

"Who is this again?" I interrupted in a bored tone.

Mum sighed heavily the way she does when I've annoyed her. "The Silvermans. You and their eldest daughter, Katarina, used to go to pre-school together."

"Oh yes! Now I remember her," I replied sarcastically. Mum sighed again and I put in my earbuds before she could go on, blasting The Zombies.

After another thirty minutes in the car, we pulled up the long drive to the Silvermans' house. It was a Tudor style mansion with a circular driveway lined with pine trees. Christmas lights were draped from the eaves and a wreath hung on the front door. Dad parked and after waiting five minutes for Mum to check her make-up, we made our way up the front walk. Mum rang the doorbell and it was opened by a woman with dark hair cut to her shoulders. She held a wine glass in one hand and smiled hugely once she recognized us.

"The Potters!" she cried, throwing her free hand in the air. "Eu-phe-mia! It is so good to see you!" She embraced Mum, who looked a little flustered despite her smile. "Fleamont! Rolf has talked about nothing but your golf trip for the past week," she gave Dad a coy smile and turned to me. "Oh my goodness, could it be?" she gasped as she looked up at me. I tried not to roll my eyes at her dramatics. "James, you are so grown up! And _so_ handsome!" she reached forward and grabbed my arm. "Look at these biceps! Oh, oh! Katarina! James is here!"

A girl who looked to be about my age appeared in the doorway. She was tall for a girl with dark hair like her mother, except longer, and deep brown eyes. She was reasonably attractive. I could see her checking me out as well. "Hey," she said, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm Kat."

"James," I replied.

"You two go run along and let us adults have some fun," Mrs. Silverman said, winking.

"Follow me," said Kat, spinning and heading further into the house. I watched her hips as she led me through a hallway. _Maybe this won't be so terrible._

She led me into a bar area where hors d'oeuvres were being served by waiters in black and white uniforms. As I looked around, it seemed like we were the only two people below the age of forty aside from Kat's younger sister. Kat started talking and I instantly knew this would be a long night. She gabbed on and on about school and cheerleading and how annoying her sister, whose name was Kourtney, was. I internally groaned, stuffing my face with crab puffs to keep from having to participate. _They made me give up my New Year's Eve plans with my friends for this?_

I excused myself to go to the bathroom, really just sneaking out to the back deck for a smoke. I pulled out a cigarette and lit up, pulling out my phone as well. I pulled up my best friend Sirius' number and sent him a quick text.

 **J: Please kill me now. This party sucks**

Less than a minute later:

 **S: God, me too. Rents dragged me out when they found out our plans were cancelled**

 **S: There's a decent looking bird though. Guess I found my midnight kiss ?**

 **J: I'm going to find booze**

I took a final drag and stubbed out my cigarette, popping a piece of gum in my mouth to hide the scent. I dragged my feet as I made my way back inside. _Maybe now is a good time to see if I can get Kat alone…_

I rounded the corner for the bar room and looked around for her dark hair. I spotted Kat talking to a guy with his hair as black as mine pulled into a neat bun at the back of his head. _Wait a second…_

Kat noticed me and beckoned me over, grinning widely. "James, I'd like you to meet-"

"Padfoot." I felt myself grin for the first time that night when Sirius turned to face me.

"You didn't say you were going to the Silvermans," Sirius said exasperatedly though he grinned back.

"Didn't know," I replied. Kat was looking back and forth between the two of us, looking confused and frustrated that she was being left out. "Sirius and I are friends," I explained.

"Oh. Well," Kat didn't seem to know what to say. "That's nice. I'm gonna go get a Coke."

We watched her walk away before turning back to each other. "How do you know them?" I asked.

"Mum does pilates with hers or something like that," Sirius rolled his eyes. "You?"

"Apparently we were pre-school buddies," I raised my eyebrows.

Sirius grinned roguishly. "I guess you get dibs then," he said. "Been fated since diapers."

"You can have her," I snorted. "She's dead boring the instant she opens her mouth."

"Not if there's something in it," Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively. "She's not the only female here anyway. I spotted two other chicks when I walked in."

"Guess that means we won't have to flip for who gets the midnight kiss."

Kat returned and motioned for us to follow her. "Some of my friends are here now, so we're gonna move to the basement," she told us. She lowered her voice, requiring us to lean in closer to hear. "I broke into my dad's booze cabinet earlier and pulled out some stuff."

We followed her through a hallway that took us back past the front door, through a door, and down a set of steps into the basement. It was a large space with a door that led to an area filled with workout machines that I assumed to be a gym just left of the stairs. We followed Kat straight, to a living room type area, with couches, a projector screen, and a pool table. The walls were covered in old movie posters and more recent posters of Hollywood heartthrobs. The projector was on, showing Ryan Seacrest's New Year's Rockin' Eve on mute. At the very back of the room was an archway that led to what looked like a movie theatre and to the left of that, a door that Kat said led to a half-court basketball court.

In the corner of the room, away from the direct view of the stairs, an old tv cabinet sat covered with various bottles of alcohol, and two people stood in front of it. "Guys, this is Sirius and James," Kat said. She headed toward the booze and we followed.

"Hi. I'm Chelsea," said a girl with light blonde hair handing out Red Solo cups. She smiled up at me flirtatiously.

"Kurt," said a guy just to Chelsea's right, his hair spiky. He glared at Sirius and me for a moment before returning to staring at Chelsea's chest.

Kourtney and Sirius' younger brother Regulus were there as well, sitting in bean bag chairs and playing Grand Theft Auto V on a smaller flat screen next to the projector. Sirius and I helped ourselves to the alcohol, Sirius winking at Chelsea as he accepted a cup from her and earning himself another glare from Kurt. Kat took a sip of her drink and looked around at the people in the room. "So, we're just missing-"

"The fun has arrived!" A voice sing-songed from the bottom of the stairs. A boy with bright pink hair, and glasses stood with his arms up in the air, striking a pose as we all turned to look at him.

"We come bearing presents," another voice sang, this one female. A girl with curly blonde hair stood appeared next to the boy. She stood next to him, and they shifted, striking the Charlie's Angels pose. "Petunia, come on! You gotta be Sabrina," the girl said.

Another girl rounded the corner. She looked older than the rest of us, maybe twenty-seven. She rolled her eyes as she walked into the room, teetering on a pair of high heels. "If I'm going to be any Angel, I'm going to be Jill. She's the prettiest," she said loftily. "Anyway, I'm just down here to say hello to Katarina."

Kat instantly put on a mature air and walked over to the older girl, the two of them kissing each other's cheeks. "Gorgeous, as always, darling," Kat said, complementing the older girl on her outfit.

"I know right?"the older girl, Petunia, replied. I looked at Sirius and he rolled his eyes.

"Where's your sister?" Kat asked, looking at the other two as if expecting a third person to appear from hiding behind them.

"Who knows? She's always got her head in the clouds," Petunia rolled her eyes.

The curly blonde stepped in between them. "She's saying hello to your parents," she told Kat. "Now, where do I put this stuff?" She held up a drawstring bag, the sound of glass clinking against one another coming from within.

"Over there," Kat said, pointing to the tv cabinet.

The blonde nodded and made her way over. "Come along Benjy and help me."

The pink haired guy, Benjy, sighed exasperatedly, but followed the blonde. "Why can't you do it?" he whined. "Do your arms no longer work?"

"Don't whine, Benjy. It doesn't become you." My attention was turned yet again to the stairwell where yet another girl stood.

"Lil, you completely ruined our entrance! Petunia refused to be Sabrina," the curly blonde pouted as she pulled bottles from her bag. I could see Sirius' gaze moving up and down her body, and knew he'd already forgotten all about Chelsea and Kat.

The new girl laughed. "You know Tuney likes to play Jill." She walked over to Kat and gave her a hug. "Everything looks lovely Kat."

"You're too kind," Kat's smile was gracious, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Lily," Petunia started. "You should have brushed your hair before we left." Petunia ran her fingers through Lily's hair. Lily batted her hands away. "I'm going upstairs."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay down here?" Lily asked, staring at her sister. The two sisters were around the same height and had similar skin tones but that was where the resemblance ended.

"No, Vernon's upstairs waiting," Petunia said. She turned to address the rest of us. "Happy New Year." She wobbled back to the stairs, her heels echoing against the wood as she made her way back up.

Kat turned to the blonde. "What'd you bring, Marlene?" and walked over to the tv cabinet.

I turned to Sirius, tossing back the rest of my drink. "Looks like I've found my midnight kiss," he said, smirking as he stared at Marlene.

"You might want to introduce yourself first," I said, slapping him on the back.

"What about you?" he asked me.

I shrugged, my eyes seeking out the new girl, Lily. She was talking to Benjy, her back to me. She had auburn hair that fell in waves to the middle of her back, and long legs despite the fact that she was rather short. I tried not to stare at the way her jeans hugged her hips.

Music suddenly started playing from speakers in the ceiling, the volume turned up loud enough to drown out any sound from upstairs, and the lights were dimmed. I watched Kat go over to Regulus and Kourtney, and tell them to get lost. Kurt was trying to talk to Chelsea who was pointedly ignoring him, and Benjy was pulling Lily toward the middle of the room to dance.

Sirius tossed back the contents of his drink and nudged me in a 'Watch this' sort of way. He walked over to where Marlene was making her own drink. He tapped her on the shoulder and the two started talking. In no time, he had her laughing and pushing him playfully. He caught my eye and winked. _Guess Padfoot is taken care of for the night._

With Sirius busy entertaining Marlene, I found myself feeling bored yet again. Kat was still arguing with her sister, and there was no point in bothering to talk to Chelsea if it meant having Kurt up-in-arms all night. The only other girl in the room was busy dancing with a guy with pink hair. I glanced over at Lily, watching her dance for a minute, her hair swinging as she threw her head back and laughed, before heading for the half-court.

I opened the door, blinking against the bright lights, the sound of the music in the other room muted. The court looked like it had never been used, the floor not yet scuffed up by sneakers, the net white and pristine. There was a rack of brand new Wilsons and I picked one out randomly. I dribbled a bit, getting used to the bounce and feel of the ball before taking a shot. _Oh yeah._ I rolled up my sleeves and lost myself to the sound of rubber hitting the court and my dress shoes squeaking against the floor.

"Well, you're just a regular Kobe Bryant, aren't you?"

I stopped dribbling and turned around, tucking the ball under my arm. Lily was leaning against the doorframe, a half awed, half amused smirk on her face. "Only Kobe? Not even Jordan?"

"Kobe was the first name that came to mind," she replied, walking further into the room, the door closing behind her.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Not that long I guess." She looked around the room and I took the moment to straighten myself out. I hadn't really broken a sweat, but I swiped a hand through my perpetually messy hair anyway.

She walked over to the rack and picked up a ball, rolling it between her hands. "I'm Lily, by the way," she said, smiling.

"James," I replied. She was wearing a dark blue long sleeve, scooped neck top that showed off her collarbone so nicely. I found it difficult not to stare.

She turned to the hoop and took a shot. It bounced off the rim, slamming into the wall and shooting back toward us. She giggled as I picked it up when it rolled into my shoes. "Guess NBA star is no longer a career option," she said.

I shook my head. "Not necessarily. It's all about your stance." I took the ball in my hands, dribbled twice, and took a shot. I grabbed it when it bounced back to us and showed her again. "You've got to bend your knees, keep your elbow in line with the basket, and follow through. And aim for the top of the rim." I went through the motions slowly before handing her the ball.

"Do you play?" she asked as she repeated my actions in slow motion before trying it again. She added this little hop to her motion, like she was throwing her whole body weight behind the ball. The ball hit the backboard and rebounded toward us. She caught the ball and tucked it into her hip, turning to face me.

I shook my head. Everyone always assumed I was a basketball player since I'm 6'3", but it never interested me aside from being a fun hobby. "Nah. I play football." I grabbed another ball and took a shot. We both watched it go in.

She followed me and once again the ball rebounded off the backboard. "Clearly this is a height thing," she groaned. "You've got at least a good foot over me. It's practically cheating," she proclaimed.

"Oh really?" I grinned.

"Yes! You need to try it from my level," she grinned back. She had these incredible almond shaped emerald green eyes framed by long, dark lashes, and they sparkled with amusement, making them even more brilliant. "Get on your knees!"

"Get on my knees?"

"Yes."

I shrugged and got on my knees. She handed me a basketball and I considered my position before taking a shot. "Nothing but net," I smirked. She came to stand next to me and even on my knees, she was still a good couple of inches shorter than me.

"That's so not fair!" she cried, exasperated.

"Here," I got off my knees and grabbed the ball. I put the ball in her hands and moved behind her. I positioned her elbow, and reminded her to bend her knees. I put my hands on her hips and turned them so they were in line with the basket. I had the urge to leave them there, to wrap my arms around her and pull her against me, but I stuck my hands my pockets instead. I stayed behind her though, breathing in her scent. She smelled like cinnamon and roses. "Okay, try it now."

I heard her exhale and she took the shot. We both watched the ball sail through the air and hit the rim, rolling around the metal for a few seconds before falling in. "Woo!" she cried. I laughed as she jumped up and turned to face me, doing a victory dance. "I did it! I did it!"

"Um, I think _I_ deserve some credit here."

She snorted. "Oh yeah, it was _your_ teaching that helped me, not _my_ natural talent," she said sarcastically. She took a victory lap around the court, singing "We Are The Champions" as she went, though she changed the 'we' to 'I'.

"Only if you can do it twice," I challenged, grabbing another ball and holding it out for her.

"Game on!" she said, snatching the ball and narrowing her eyes at me, her giggles keeping her from being anything but intimidating.

"There you are James! I've been looking all over for you." We turned to see Kat standing in the doorway, her lips puckered like she'd been sucking on a lemon. "You should come join us," she said, her voice tight. Her eyes flashed over to Lily for a second before she walked over and threaded her arm through mine. "Come along now."

She all but dragged me back into the living area of the basement, the music significantly louder than it had been on the court. I looked behind me and saw Lily putting the basketballs we'd been using back on the rack. I looked back at Kat, ready to tell her off for dragging me around like some sort of doll. "Who's ready to play spin the bottle?" I turned and saw Marlene standing in the center of the room, holding an empty Smirnoff bottle.

"Me! Me!" Benjy shouted, plopping down on the floor near Marlene's feet.

"What are we, in primary school?" Kat scoffed.

"I think it's a good idea," Sirius said. I caught the look on his face and saw his unspoken words. _Excuse to snog someone._

We all gathered round Marlene, Kat on my left and Chelsea on my right. Kurt sat next to Chelsea, Sirius next to him. Marlene sat down next to Sirius, while Benjy was positioned next to Kat. Lily was last to sit down and filled the seat across from me, in between Benjy and Marlene. "Okay, rules are simple: spin the bottle, kiss whomever it lands on. The kiss must be at least a minute long, none of that primary school pecking shit. If you don't want to kiss that person, you take a shot," Marlene explained, holding up a bottle of vodka and grinning mischievously. "I'll go first."

She grabbed the bottle round the middle and spun it on the floor. It made a whirring sound as it went, the lights reflecting off of the glass, and then it slowed down and stopped, the cap facing me. I caught Sirius' eye and smirked at his frown. "C'mere gorgeous!" Marlene crowed, crawling on her hands and knees toward me. I shrugged and leaned forward, meeting her halfway. She wrapped a hand around my neck and brought her lips to mine. I counted sixty seconds in my head and pulled away. Out of all the girls I've kissed, I have to say, Marlene was one of the better ones. I was almost reluctant to let it end, but I knew if I let it go on longer than a minute, Sirius would kill me.

Marlene grinned at me. "You've got wonderful lips," she declared.

I chuckled. "My friend's are almost as nice," I replied, tipping my head slightly in Sirius' direction. Her smile grew larger as she sat back down. "I guess it's my turn," I grabbed the bottle, shooting my eyes quickly over to where Lily was sitting, and spun it.

Round and round and round. Slower and slower and slower. _Just slightly more to the right… Fuck._ "Sorry Benjy," I said, reaching for the bottle of vodka Marlene had placed just outside the circle. "I'm sure you're a wonderful kisser, but I'm not drunk enough for that." Everyone laughed. Benjy took it in good humor, though he did look slightly disappointed. I tossed back my shot, cursing my luck, and watched Benjy spin. _Are you fucking kidding me?_

"Wouldn't be the first time," Lily proclaimed, leaning forward and kissing Benjy. They pulled away, criticizing one another and laughing.

And on it went like that. Lily spun next and kissed Marlene. Marlene landed on Chelsea, Chelsea landed on Sirius, Sirius landed on Kat. The biggest diss was when Chelsea spun and took a shot instead of kissing Kurt, who looked absolutely crushed. The bottle landed on me a few more times, once for Chelsea, who tried to keep hold of me after the minute was up, and the other for Sirius, the two of us making eye contact and taking shots at the same time. Kat spun the bottle and it landed on Lily. "Sorry babe," she said, grabbing the vodka and taking a shot.

Lily shrugged and grabbed the bottle. Round and round and round. Slower and slower and slower. _Yes!_ She looked up, brilliant eyes meeting mine, and my pulse steadily increased. She bit her lip and cocked her head to the side. "Student-teacher relations are illegal, you know," she said, though she started to lean forward.

"I'm sure no one here will tattle," I replied, leaning forward as well.

We met in the middle, over the Smirnoff bottle, and she lifted a hand, placing against my cheek. I was somewhere between trying to figure out how to get this kiss to last for more than a minute and having my thoughts get all jumbled as I stared into her eyes, her pupils slightly dilated. I leaned forward, more than ready to make that distance between us nonexistent.

"I think dinner's ready!" Lily and I both started, Lily leaning quickly away from me. Everyone turned to look at Kat, who was staring at us all with wide eyes. "We should go grab some before it's all gone."

There was a heavy, awkward pause as everyone in the circle looked at one another. Lily and I were still on hands and knees and she sat back, staring down at her hands. Benjy was trying to talk to Lily and Marlene was glaring at Kat, who was staring wide-eyed at me. Kurt and Chelsea both just looked extremely uncomfortable. Slowly, we all got to our feet and followed Kat up the stairs.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Sirius. We pulled off to the side, back to the bar area where only a few adults still remained. "I can't believe I just got cock blocked," I grumbled, running a hand through my hair and glaring at nothing in particular.

"I know. It's crazy. You could practically feel the attraction between you two," Sirius said. "I'm not surprised it happened though."

That caught my attention. "What do you mean?"

"Kat has been all over you all night. She didn't even blink when I snogged Marlene but the instant you get close to Lily, she jumps."

"That's so stupid," I yanked at my hair, the way I do when I need to think. The quick flash of pain cleared my mind. "Now it's just gonna be awkward." _There's no way I'll be able to get Lily alone now._

Sirius didn't seem to know what to say, so he just slapped me on the back again. "Come on. Let's go get some nosh."

Food was being served buffet style, so we grabbed plates and got on line. Once we were satisfied with our pickings, Sirius led the way to where Marlene was sitting on a couch with Lily and Benjy. Lily saw us coming, panic flashing in her eyes. She quickly got up and walked away, leaving her half full plate on the coffee table in front of the couch. I sighed, hand going back to my hair. _This fucking sucks._

Marlene and Benjy looked up at us as we came over. Benjy said, " I'm going to go get her." He got up and walked away.

"I can find somewhere else to eat," I frowned, looking to Marlene for help.

She sighed and shook her head. "No. Lil's just acting immature," she moved over so Sirius could sit down next to her. I remained standing. "God, Kat is such a bitch sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, forking some pasta and putting it in his mouth.

"She _always_ pulls crap like this," Marlene ran an agitated hand through her curls. "She treats everything like a competition."

"How do you know her?" I asked.

"Benjy, Lil, and I all go to the same university as her," she gave the name of the university, Sirius and I nodding at the familiar name. "She's really Lil's friend, though you've seen the kind of friend she is." Marlene let out a frustrated sigh. Sirius placed a comforting hand on her knee.

Benjy came back. "She's hiding with Petunia and Vernon, and I refuse to go near that bigot," he said. He picked up his plate and stood next to me.

I sighed and put down my plate. "I'm going for a smoke," I said, walking away before anyone could say anything.

I was halfway to the door that led to the back deck when I spotted her. She was standing next to her sister and a robust man. The man was talking to another couple, who looked mildly offended at whatever he was saying, while Petunia stared at the man adoringly. Lily stood off to the side a little, close enough to make it clear she was part of the group, though her body language indicated she was not taking part in the conversation. She had a distant, kind of bored look on her face and her usually bright eyes were dim. She twirled a piece of hair around her finger, chewing on her bottom lip. I couldn't move, transfixed by that lip. She looked up and started when she noticed me staring at her. I saw the panic flash through her eyes again, but it disappeared quickly, replaced by curiosity instead. She tilted her head to the side, and she pressed her lips together as a smile fought to come out. I smirked and she smiled for real, her face opening and lighting up. I hesitated, took a step in her direction, Lily repeating my movements.

"Oh Jamie!" I jumped as Mum crossed my path, blocking my view of Lily. "My hansome boy. Oh goodniss, I jus loooooovvvvvve you s'mch."

She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in for a big hug. She squeezed me tightly and I caught Lily's eye over her shoulder. She placed a hand over her mouth and was laughing as she watched us. I pulled back. "Mum, are you drunk?"

"Jamie, I jus love you s'mch. My hansome, hansome boy. You'llll mak some gurl vey, vey, vey happee one day. Goo boy. My goo boy." She held a half filled wine glass in one hand. _Fuck my life._

"Let's find somewhere to sit, hm?" I wrapped an arm around Mum's shoulder and took the wine glass from her hand. I led her over to a futon in the corner and sat her down. "Stay here. I'm gonna go find Dad."

I glanced over my shoulder, but Lily was no longer standing with her sister. I grabbed Mum a bottle of water and located Dad, explaining the situation to him. He took the water and went off to find Mum. _What a_ great _way to celebrate the new year._

I went back to the room where Sirius, Marlene and Benjy had been sitting. I was intercepted by Kat and dragged back to the basement. We played Truth or Dare for another hour, until Benjy dared Marlene to snog someone in the room, and she and Sirius attacked each other in the middle of the circle. We all broke apart after making them move into the movie theatre.

It was around 10:45 at this point, so Kat turned the projector off mute and turned off the music. DNCE was performing in Times Square on the screen. Kurt was trying to convince Chelsea to join him in the theatre, but even drunk she continued to refuse him. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Kat hovering nearby, so I escaped to the half court again.

Just as I had hoped, Lily joined me shortly. "You appear to be _quite_ the ladies man, James," she said, picking up a basketball and dribbling in place. "Both cougars and Kat and Chelsea."

"That was my mother," I told her, taking a shot. Lily covered her mouth, eyes wide. "She was drunk," I groaned. Lily started laughing. "Hey, you shouldn't be laughing. For all you know, your mum could be drunk as well," I said, about to take a shot.

She instantly stopped laughing and looked away. I straightened out of my position and looked at her curiously. "A little hard to do," she said with a wry smile. "Considering my parents passed away."

I froze. _Fuck. What do I say?_ I opened my mouth, unsure what was about to come out, but she cut me off. "You don't have to say anything. It happened when I was sixteen."

"I'm sorry." _God, that sounds lame._

She smiled sadly and shrugged her shoulders. She dribbled the ball and took another shot. She grinned as it went in. "My father would be very impressed if he could see me now. He always tried to get me and Tuney to play sports. He played on the basketball team when he was at university." She raised her eyebrows.

"My dad is the most uncoordinated person I know," I spun the ball on my finger as I took a step closer to her. "He can't even walk up a set of stairs without tripping."

She giggled and tapped her chest. "That's me. Perpetual klutz."

"Well if you're wearing those all the time, of course you'll trip," I gestured to her heeled boots.

She shrugged. "Beauty is pain." She tossed the ball in the air and caught it. "So, how do you know Kat?"

"Apparently, we were friends in pre-school."

"Ah," she raised her eyebrows. "I figured you were an ex."

"Well, you know, when you're in love at the age of three, it can become very difficult to get over." She laughed again, and I marveled at the sound. It was so musical sounding, light and happy. "And you know her from university?"

She nodded. "We were study partners in anthropology." She took a step toward me, bouncing the ball once. "I'm not really sure why she invited me, to be honest."Another step. "But I'm glad she did."

 _God, she's beautiful._ I took the final step, so my shoes touched hers. This close to her, I could see a slight spattering of freckles across the tip of her nose. Her eyes were totally green, not blue-green or hazel like mine, but green-green. I found my gaze drawn to her lips, which looked soft and pink and _Fuck, I want to kiss her._

"Come dance with me, Lily!" Her eyes widened as a slightly drunk Marlene grabbed her arm and yanked her out the room. Sirius stood just inside the doorway, his clothes disheveled, his hair falling out of its bun. Marlene looped her arm through his and yanked him after her as well. She turned back when she saw me still standing there. "Well come along now, Gorgeous! Lily needs a dance partner," Marlene spoke like she was explaining algebra to a seven year old. Lily grinned and shrugged while Marlene pulled her around the corner. I put down the basketball and followed.

The projector was on mute again, music blasting from the speakers. Marlene pulled Sirius and Lily into the middle of the room and started dancing. Chelsea joined in and the two blondes moved together. Benjy grabbed Lily's hand and the two of them began doing some sort of routine. Sirius and I made eye contact, and moved toward the booze as one. "You know, you've got this weird bruised mark on your neck, Pads. Did you get hit by something?" I asked, furrowing my brows as I poured myself some whiskey.

"Ha ha," Sirius grinned shamelessly. "At least I got some action." He grabbed the bottle from me and poured himself a drink.

We watched the girls dance till Marlene grabbed Sirius and dragged him back into the theatre, Sirius wiggling his eyebrows at me as he followed. I tossed back another glass of whiskey and made my way back upstairs to have a smoke. On the back deck, it was chilly, but peaceful. The sounds of the party inside were muted, leaving me alone in the company of only the stars and some deer. I stared up at Orion, my favorite constellation, as I lit my cigarette.

"Those'll kill you."

"You follow me out here?" I asked as Lily came to stand next to me. She blushed slightly, but smiled and nodded.

"I could use some fresh air," she leaned against the railing. "Though," she looked pointedly at me. "Not so fresh at the moment."

I blew my next exhale into her face, but stubbed out the cigarette and put it behind my ear to save for later. She looked away, up at the stars. I moved to stand next to her, our arms brushing. "Come up with a resolution yet?"

She shook her head, still staring up at the sky. "I never really make one, to be honest," she turned to face me. "Whenever I do, it's always something like 'eat less chocolate' which is just stupid because there is no such thing as too much chocolate," She grinned when I chuckled, then got a contemplative look on her face. "I guess my resolution would be to not be afraid to try new things. To not let fear and hesitation rule my life." She was nodding to herself, like she was confirming the idea as she came up with it. We were silent for a spell while she thought it over. She blinked and looked at me, asking, "What about you?"

"I'm like you, I usually never make a resolution. I should probably pick something like, 'I'll quit smoking' or 'Drink less and not get in so much trouble' but those are stupid, square-like resolutions."

"Square-like?"

"Yeah. Square-like. Like a boring, monotonous person. Wears the same thing everyday, thinks inside the box," I explained. She gave me a bemused look. "I guess my resolution is to keep living life to the fullest and to never miss out on any opportunities."

"If it's something you already do, then it's not a resolution," she smacked me lightly on the arm, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "Resolutions are about change."

"Well, see, I'm already perfect, so I don't need to change." She laughed again and God, did I love that sound.

There was a sudden commotion from inside and we heard the sound of someone calling out a minute to midnight. "Wow, midnight already?" Lily glanced down at her watch.

"Guess so."

Thirty seconds was called from inside the house. I looked down at Lily and smirked. "Ready for the best New Year's Eve kiss of your life?"

She bit her lip. "Who says I want to kiss you?" she challenged, though she didn't move when I took a step closer to her

"Who wouldn't want to kiss me? Did Chelsea and Marlene not look satisfied? Did Marlene not announce that I had wonderful lips?"

"Oh yes. What a _great_ way to convince me to kiss you. I just love to hear about all the other girls you've kissed tonight."

Ten seconds, the voice from inside called.

"So what's it gonna be _Lily_?"

Nine!

"You seem pretty desperate to kiss me, _James_."

Eight!

"It's my goal to kiss all the females under the age of forty here tonight."

Seven!

"You arse! Now I definitely don't want to kiss you."

Six! I took another step closer to her.

"I don't know about that? You look pretty excited about the idea if you ask me."

Five!

"I bet you slobber like a dog!"

Four!

"Why don't you get over here and find out?"

Three!

"Hmmm, I don't know… I don't really want your cooties."

Two!

"So, what's it gonna be Lily? Kiss or no kiss?"

One!

Almost as if we were moving as one, I reached down at the same moment she reached up, our mouths meeting in the middle. And _dear lord_ it was so much better than I'd been imagining. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, her fingers threading lightly through the hair at the nape of my neck. I wove my fingers through her hair, relishing in the soft texture and the way the strands slipped through my fingers. Her lips were soft beneath mine and she met me kiss for kiss.

I slid my hands slowly down her body, feeling her warmth through her clothes, and settled on her hips, my arms wrapping tightly around them. I pulled her more firmly against me when she opened her mouth and our tongues met. She tasted kind of sweet and syrupy, like soda, and I vaguely remembered that she hadn't been drinking. I moved my lips away from hers, over her jaw and down her neck. She gasped, her fingers digging into my neck and I pushed her more firmly against the railing. Her skin was so soft and smelled so good as I traced my nose up the side of her neck before meeting her mouth again. She sighed, her hands moving further into my hair, fingernails scratching against my skull in the most wonderful way so I couldn't help but groan.

I bit her lip lightly and pushed her even more insistently against the railing, trying to figure out a way to get her even closer than she already was. She rose up on her tiptoes, pushing her lips more firmly against mine. All too soon, she pulled away, gasping for air, her chest heaving against mine. I leaned my forehead against hers, breathing just as hard and stared into her emerald irises. "Happy New Year, James," she breathed.

I grinned, unable to stop myself from looking like an idiot, but feeling appeased when she grinned just as hugely back. "Happy New Year, Lily."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **1\. Mrs. Silverman is supposed to be based off the mothers in the area where I live. They're these really over-the-top and fake women, and I feel like I nailed it pretty perfectly.**

 **2\. So, Sirius is kind of crude in this story, and I apologize if I offended anyone. I just always picture him as like the king of innuendos, but once again, forgive me if I offended anyone.**

 **3\. I also realized, as I was editing this, that James says 'fuck' in like every one of his thoughts. Again, apologies if I offended anyone. I guess I just never realized that I have such a potty mouth when it comes to my thoughts, which consequently means James has potty mouth thoughts as well.**

 **I also just wanted to do a quick shout out and thanks to all the people who've liked my stories in the past few months. You guys really know how to make a girl feel special 3**

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 **And even though they don't have a FanFic account, thank you** jilybae **for you're wonderful reviews.**


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